


Lavender Hillside

by prettyvillain



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bath Sex, Creampie, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Hyur Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), It's a soft marriage AU, Outdoor Sex, Sort of... it's hot springs, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:08:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26275387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyvillain/pseuds/prettyvillain
Summary: “You’re getting soppy, you know.” She whispers, but she doesn’t recoil. Against her soothed back she can feel his heart thumping erratically within his chest. The beating of a hero’s heart. How glad she is that he is alive, that they are here together in this sweetened moment and in so many more moments to come.Ardbert and his wife Calista enjoy a private night in the Lakeland hot springs, where somehow Calista falls even deeper in love with the hero of the First.
Relationships: Ardbert/Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Lavender Hillside

**Author's Note:**

> A request for Ardbert and his beautiful wife Calista take some much needed R&R in the refreshing and healing waters of the springs! This warrior of light is simply gorgeous and she's such fun to write, so thank you so much for the prompt! 
> 
> This fic takes place in an alternate universe where Ardbert survives and everything works out totally fine, don't worry about it ;) A lovely, beautiful happy marriage between two heroes is all that matters here! Please enjoy!

Splayed across a black canvas of night is littered a thousand shimmering specks of light, as stars hang perfectly arranged above the lavender landscape, with the rolling hills and wetlands of Lakeland stretching far and wide beneath. 

To bask within the darkness still feels much like a privilege to the masses who have only ever known eternal _light_ , thus when nightfall comes and wraps their world in starlight, a sense of peace comes with it. A sense of wonder and security, with that mass of black roaming the heavens. 

Often Ardbert reaches for Calista’s hand, gripping her slender fingers within his own, before they walk across the grassy terrain and beneath the night sky. A quiet stroll when they can simply _exist_ , something less than hero and hero and something more like lover and lover. The rustle of nature and the soft breeze from the lake comfort them whenever they roam, however far they go. 

Sometimes they sit and overlook the docks; feet dipping into the water as she leans her head against his shoulder and he tells her tales of his days from way out here back when the world still adored him. When there was hope and happiness spilling from every corner of it. 

But other times she leads him to her favourite spot, the collection of outdoor pools and springs. The hot springs of Clearmelt have long transitioned from a haven of healing and relaxing baths, to a quiet place for pausing adventures tired from their journey to regather themselves, and have since returned back to their original purpose; a famous center for soothing old wounds and reuniting with old friends.. 

Remnants of its former purposes lie scattered about; abandoned spears encased in vine-like grips of roots and weeds, forgotten bottles and glasses resting against the stone and a few lost fragments of armour some soldiers seem to have left behind. 

As they near the springs, Calista’s face turns to offer her beloved a smile. “Just our luck-- empty again!” 

With the return of night came a calmer and more peaceful era, one which saw many people across the region relax into a lifestyle they had for so long been denied. And so these precious quiet areas were often sullied with noise and commotion. It seems, at least, tonight is an exception.

“S’pose you want me to call myself a fool for doubting you again, right?” Ardbert laughs, swinging his legs from his amaro and landing on the soft grass with a heavy thud. 

“Alright Seto--” his gloved hand runs against the mount’s side, coming to ruffle the feathers on his head before moving to stand before him. “Don’t go flying off _too far_ , now.” His voice almost sounds stern but the grin upon his face, reaching ear to ear, begs to differ. “No adventures without me, you hear? Stay out of trouble.” 

Seto dips his head in understanding prompting Ardbert to lean forward and press their foreheads together for a moment. Calista, after she dismounts her own amaro, finds herself pausing to observe the tender moment, her eyes flickering from Seto to his companion. 

Of course there are _many_ reasons to love Ardbert. 

For her, the list is endless and seems to only grow each day. Seeking them out seems fruitless, for they manifest before her eyes in such frequent and sweet ways, one such way being the simple happiness she notes in how comforted Seto seems when given Ardbert’s full attention. With their faces so close, eyes closed and their smiles soft, she finds herself falling in love with him again, if only for the endearing bond he shares with his steed. 

Ardbert is simply like that, capable of forming friendships that transcend simply liking someone. He builds these connections with their very soul, keeping them safe and guarded while also offering them a smile.

The two break away and with a few flaps of his mighty wings, Seto takes to the air. Calista’s amaro follows in Seto’s shadow and the two of them soar across the hot springs to a tucked away cliff side, where Calista assumes they might roost for a while. 

The baths themselves are littered with lights as candles float atop the rocky pools. Steam wafts high into the air, as the warm water meets with the cooler world above it. In the distance, the creaking of insects fills the space between their talking. A distant symphony of cicadas and chattering beasts. 

“Let’s go up there!” Calista points to one of the higher pools,grabbing Ardbert’s hand with her free one. She pulls him towards her favourite spot and he chuckles, reaching for his satchel before coming along after her. 

Even the way she moves seems gracefully choreographed, how she leaps from step to step as they climb up and up. Lakeland appears much smaller at their feet from the very peak of the pools and against the lavender skyline and the world above dotted with stars, Calista shines _effortlessly_. 

A few steps below her, Ardbert gazes up to his heavens and in it he sees _**majesty**_. The slender curve of her toned form, how fabric hangs delicately from her hips and Thavnarian gold swoops and sways along with her movements. Soft rose hues compliment her pale skin and when she turns her head, the curls of her hair bounce against her cheeks. The smile she gives him when she sees him looking is almost mischievous. 

“Careful now, if you were to tumble down those steps our evening would be cut quite short.” She warns, a wink of her lashes following suit. She continues climbing the stairs before reaching the bath she had pointed out, the largest of the set and overlooking the horizon. 

As Ardbert finally reaches the summit in her wake, his eyes fall upon the sight of Calista beginning to shed herself of her dancing gear; rolling down her elbow-length gloves and stepping out of her jewel-encrusted sandals. 

Fabric begins to fall away from her body as she unties the loops and hooks at her back. Satin and silk drift away from her breasts as her bralette is tugged free. Ardbert can merely watch for a moment, until Calista beckons him over with a smile. “Help me untie this, will you?” He knows that she can very well do it herself, but his hands are soon upon her and roaming beneath the thin strips of fabric which remain. 

Not quite helping her _just_ yet, as gloved fingers smoothe and touch, tease and roll over her sensitive skin. His palm glides over her breasts and her nipples harden between his fingers, causing her to sigh in pleasure. 

“I said **help** me, didn’t I?” She playfully asks, reminding him with a small giggle that she was still half-dressed. 

“ _Mm_ , my apologies. Allow me…” He pulls away from toying with her nipples to unfasten the last of her bows and knots, letting the rest of her outfit fall away to rest against the dry rocks. 

Calista spins within his arms, pressing her chest to his still-clothed one, and leans up to kiss him. Her hands move to his chest as he parts her lips with his tongue and she kisses him deeply, fingers travelling between them to begin pulling away at his armour.

Fortunately, he’s not quite as outfitted as per usual, with his armour of choice being more leather than metal, but it still takes a few seconds of fumbling before clasps become loose for the heavy protective gear to finally begin to fall away. 

It takes far longer to undress Ardbert than it does herself but eventually the pair of them sink into the water naked and free of their attire. For a few moments, they sit apart simply enjoying the quiet of the night and the cool air against their exposed skin. 

Ardbert hands his wife a glass of plum wine left over from their afternoon picnic and she tilts the cup to her lips, letting the alcohol stain them a soft ruby. In the water, her breasts lift gently and Ardbert’s eyes easily trail along the exposed skin the water fails to cover; where moonlight and candles illuminate her pale slender legs and the curve of her hips against the rocky seat.

She feels his eyes upon her, devouring her as he so often does, and she pulls her shoulders back slightly to show off for him, earning a smile to spread across his features. 

“Come here, you.” 

Ardbert’s voice has a gruffness to it despite how well-spoken he is, a sort of rough texture underlying the command, which sees Calista rise from the water before taking a seat in his lap. The cup clicks against the stone behind his head as her arms come to wrap around his neck.

Her legs straddle his and she leans in to close the space between their faces to press a confident kiss to his lips. The taste of alcohol rolls across their tongues as he holds her within his arms and she uses the ease of the water around her to glide within his lap. 

“You are something, you know that right?” Ardbert exhales against her neck when they pull away, his voice already fractured from how tight his throat has become, from how _overwhelming_ her trance is upon him.

“A _good_ something I hope.” Calista smiles, trailing her fingers against his warm cheek. She adores how easily he melts at even the slightest touch, how even just the act of her sitting here is enough to drive him crazy. As she leans to kiss each side of his heated face, her breasts push against his chest and he sighs in response.

“I’ll say.” He tries to chuckle but it’s a broken, cluttered array of laughter against the back of his throat. “Definitely better than good. You are **perfect**.” His words are honest, even if they are breathless. 

Calista draws back to smile at him. In the little light they are provided, the scars along Ardbert’s body are almost entirely invisible. But she knows they exist, having traced her lips and fingers over their healed remains time and time again. She wonders if it’s the same for him. Does he see beyond the darkness, to the broken skin and healing cuts she carries? That deep wound along her back that, for a while, she had thought was her body being torn apart? 

Is there guilt in his kisses when he trails his fingers absentmindedly there and feels how tender the skin is? Or is it long forgotten. Long forgiven. 

She presses another kiss to his lips before reaching between them and wrapping slender fingers around his aroused cock. He jumps at the touch despite watching her hand move as if even the slight contact is enough to unbalance him. 

“Calista…” He’s already gasping her name as she’s merely squeezing him rhythmically in her palm, simply rolling her wrist beneath the water as she motions up and down along him. But his fingers are digging sweetly into her hips, urging her onward. Begging with wide eyes and her name hanging from his lips. “ _ **Please…**_ ”

She’s been known to keep him waiting, if only because teasing him brings out his sweetest sides. How he begs for her, as if his life depends on it. But her cheeks are warm from the heat of the water and his affectionate words have left her dizzy in excitement. 

“Yes, my love? Use your words, won’t you? You’re perfectly capable of talking.” She teases and he splutters, his eyes falling closed as her hand grips tighter.

“Please, I need you to… _ah_ , you know.” The heat from his face is radiating, she can feel it against her cheeks. How flushed he becomes at the mere thought of it all, after all this time, is _incredibly_ endearing. With Ardbert seemingly unable to say it, she begins to move in his lap and takes the words out of his mouth, whispering them against his ear instead.

“Please let me feel you, please fuck me.” But even she cannot relish in the finer details, as she pushes his cock against her folds and breaches her entrance. She slowly seats herself within his lap and his cock fills her _perfectly_ , silencing her for a moment before she lets out a soft moan of approval. “Oh… _yes…_ ”

With him entirely inside her, his cock always feels so much larger than it looks. How it pulses between her walls and she feels her body tighten in response. How he bucks against her sweetly, gasping her name as her pussy squeezes around him desperately. 

“G _-gods_ …” His words tumble loose and free, hands seizing gentle fists of her rose-coloured hair as he buries his face against the skin of her neck. “Yes… more, _please_.. You’re amazing…” The aroma of her ointments overwhelms his senses as he bucks against her weakly, keen to begin their dance. 

But her movements guide him instead. They are _her_ steps, _her_ choreographed movements as skilled hips grind and twist, her lap lifting before falling over and over. She fucks him slowly at first, so that he can regain his breath, before the dance becomes quicker and frenzied.

The beat begins as water sloshes around them rhythmically; small waves splashing against the stone and overlapping the edge of their bath to spill beyond it. Calista moves her hands to Arbert’s chest to keep steady and she grinds down upon him, catching his open-mouthed gasps with her smirking lips. 

“Are you sure you can still keep up with me? You’re falling _behind_.” Her voice is a sing-song amongst her own soft gasps; fingers curling as Ardbert’s cock fills her completely with every sharp snap of her hips beneath the water. She throws her head back and quickens her pace, causing more water to splash around them. 

“Oh, oh… _ah_!” She allows pleasure to spill from her lips as Ardbert lifts his head to press eager kisses to her exposed slender neck. The darkness of night hides the red rings from where he sucks gently at the skin, teasing a lover’s mark but resisting the urge. Hot and heavy breaths fall against her and she moves her hands to rest behind his head.

Weaving her fingers through his hair, she grinds within his lap chasing her orgasm until her pussy clenches tighter around him. Squeezing around his cock, leaving Ardbert groaning against her. She squeaks in joy and her insides tighten as she rides him through her assault of pleasure.

Even with the darkness swarming around them pink spots blossom within her eyes as her body twitches. 

But she’s spared no cool down, no chance to work back up to a steady dance, as Ardbert’s hands dip below the water and seize her thighs. She squeals with laughter, caught entirely by surprise, as her husband stands abruptly from the water with his cock still deep inside of her. 

Calista’s legs come to wrap around his hips and he moves through the bath, water sloshing around his knees as she clings onto him tightly. “Ardbert?” She giggles, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Where are you ta-- _**ah!**_ _Ye-yes_! Ardbert!” 

She’s interrupted mid-question as Ardbert lays her down along one of the smoother worn away stones. It’s a cool flush suddenly against her warm back and she jumps slightly in response, but Ardbert leans over her and begins fucking her earnestly, instantly demanding her full attention. 

His thrusts are deep and paced, his own rhythm a steady but persistent one as his cock continues to buck into Calista. She writhes beneath him, falling into the dance he leads with as she lifts her hips to meet his own and spreads her legs wider for him.

“Ah! Yes… yes! Like that, it feels so good!” She spurs him on with sweet words laced within her beautiful voice, a medley of pleas and squeals of delight. “Oh, _oh_ , Gods yes… yes!” 

Lying beneath him even in this absence of light, Calista looks **magnificent**. Her chest bounces with every quickened thrust his cock pushes into her, her entire body quivering as he fills her completely, _perfectly_ , every time. Each sigh, each small gasp of pleasure, drives Ardbert crazy. 

He leans down to pepper kisses against her jaw, trailing between her breasts before he returns to her lips for a deeper, more passionate one. She accepts his lead, this time, and allows him to take control. She tilts her head up for his lips when he reaches them and leaves her legs parted and open for his hips to thrust between.

“Never thought you’d give up the lead so easily.” Ardbert grunts as his thrusts deliberately slow.

Calista whines. “Don’t… don’t start that now. You’re so cruel, you should at least finish your dance before saying such a thing.” She laughs, prompting him to smile down at her.

“Your habits are rubbing off on me, what can I say?” his grin is infectiously charismatic. Slow-moving hips gradually begin to pick up their pace, catching Calista within a laugh and causing it to waver into a broken moan. Ardbert’s hands grip tightly against her waist as he begins fucking her harder once more.

“Like that, like that, please! Don’t stop! Just like that-- _oh_!” Despite Ardbert attempting to lead the dance, it seems that Calista still somehow controls the rhythm after all. 

He obeys her wants and pushes himself deeper inside, quickening his pace as he fills her completely. She’s close to orgasming again and he can feel it, can feel her insides threatening to tighten around him and squeeze him desperately. Her perfect pussy gripping him just how he likes it. 

Calista’s hands reach for Ardbert’s arms or any piece of him that she can reach from where she lies, and her lips fall apart as if to moan but no sound escapes right away. Ardbert takes his cue and quickens the speed of his hips, his cock pistoning inside her clenching entrance until she’s squeezing so tight he can barely fit inside. 

Her moan eventually follows and she writhes again under him. With a dip of his head their lips meet in a frenzy of passion, Ardbert parting hers with his own. She whines within their kiss and her hips shake as Ardbert’s cock finally begins spilling his release inside of her. 

Groans rumble from his throat as his thrusts steady, his cock spurting erratically as Calista’s pussy squeezes it all from him keeping him tight inside of her. 

Their breaths are a flurry, a mess of heavy exhales against each other’s cheek as Ardbert remains leaned over his wife and they collect themselves in a few moments of silence and gentle breathless smiles

Calista is the first to speak, her words trembling but spoken so low, so calmly, that Ardbert’s senses spark to life once again. “The dance isn’t over just yet, unless you’re too tired to continue.”

It didn’t matter that he was still coming down from his high, or that his cock was still dribbling release inside of her. Her words made him crave more, make him want to dance until his legs are too wobbly to stand. He pulls away, his cock falling from between her legs allowing Calista to sit up and kiss him. 

“Get the ointment from your satchel.” She says, her finger running along his stubble-covered cheek before she spins on the spot and bends over the edge of the bath. Her spine curves, elegantly as a dancer’s should and her form is graceful as she folds neatly before him, her knees comfortable within the water.

For a moment Ardbert is simply dazed. Moonlight paints the skin of her skin ivory against the darkness, the pink of her behind rosy with heat. But she clears her throat at the lack of splashing water sounds, prompting him to reach for his bag as commanded.

There are several bottles in there, each clinking together as Ardbert rummages around quickly for Calista’s special request. Once the cap is removed a heavy scent of wildflowers and ointment swells within the air. 

Not only is she a seasoned warrior, but her hand at alchemy is _nothing_ to ignore. Having created her own treatments, Ardbert wonders if there is much that his wife _cannot_ do, anything that she could not excel at should she turn her mind to it. 

Her legs have parted since he moved away, presenting her glistening folds against the wet stone. Dribbles of his own cum have spilled from her entrance leaving her sensitive skin a glistening shine of white against pink. 

“Not the _whole_ bottle, but be generous about it. The water here is soothing enough to do the rest.” She leans her head against the rock letting her hair tumble across her cheek. “I’ll do yours after.” She speaks, of course, of _his_ numerous wounds and scrapes. Mapping his body like fragmented constellations of lost battles and almost-deaths. 

“Alright, my love.” He replies as he pours the ointment generously across her back. Her skin gleams in the candlelight and he begins rubbing and working in the treatment across her bruised spine. Across the scar he knows _he_ caused. 

His kisses press to the back of her neck every once in a while, his fingers circling ointment into the old lines and fading scars. “How does this feel?” He attempts to massage her there, working her flesh beneath his hardened fingers. And it feels _amazing_. 

“Good… good… right there…” She speaks within soft moans, heat pooling within her once again, as if he was brushing against her pussy. _Oh_ , but sure enough a free hand _**is**_ wandering closer down, past her cheeks and dipping between her legs. 

Lathered in ointment, it's warm and comforting against her clit and she wriggles against the stone in response. “ _Aaah…_ ” But the other hand keeps her still as best he can as he uses her remedy on the small of her back. 

A single finger soon becomes two and he’s nudging them past her folds, rolling a thumb against her as he begins a rhythm of fucking into her. His release spills past his knuckles as her pussy clenches, relaxes and begins to ooze the remainder of his cum. 

“How about this? Tell me…” He asks in a low voice. Far more steady than his weak words from before. He’s learning to take the lead, finding his footing within the dance and Calista lets him. She lets his hand guide her and she melts into his touch. 

“Yes… _**yes…**_ oh, it feels wonderful!” She knows how lucky she is. _Nothing_ is taken for granted, especially not how desperately Ardbert tries to please her, how he seeks out her pleasure as if his life depends upon it. 

Her pussy tightens around his fingers and Calista buries her face against her folded arms as she shakes. Her orgasm rips through her as she cums around his digits. Ardbert continues fucking her through it, speeding up and toying with her clit with his thumb and doing his best not to shaft the treatment of her scars at the same time.

Calista shivers, her body alight with warm pleasure, cooled only by the soft stone beneath her. 

Allowing herself to melt so easily under a man’s touch might have seemed out of sorts for her, at one point, but with Ardbert it feels almost natural. For his love manifests in the soft brushes against her skin and, even now, how he pulls his fingers away and rinses them in the water of the neighbouring pool. 

Carefully he resumes kneading her skin and lathers her in the soothing balm. This scar is unlikely to ever fade, such is the fate for all deep wounds both external and internal, but with love those scratches and cuts seem to almost not exist at all. Forgotten under the gentle caress of kiss and touch. 

Once he’s finally finished, Ardbert carefully pulls Calista from the stone and embraces her from behind. He wraps himself around her and draws her into his warmth, to which she easily relaxes into. 

“You’re getting soppy, you know.” She whispers, but she doesn’t recoil. Against her soothed back she can feel his heart thumping erratically within his chest. The beating of a hero’s heart. How glad she is that he is alive, that they are here together in this sweetened moment and in so many more moments to come.

“Just appreciating what I’ve got. Hardly _‘soppy’_ as you call it. I say it’s smart.” He murmurs against her ear before encouraging her to turn around. “I love you so much, you know. More than… I can really say, to be honest. I keep searching for more words, but… they fail me.”

Her grin is as wide as his, but her blush is not as dark. Always so flustered by the mere acknowledgement of love, Ardbert easily buckles when it comes to which of them can handle these displays of honest affection. 

“Shh.” Calista replies, her eyes half-lidded as her smile grows. “Never mind about that.”

They sink into the water but their arms remain wrapped around each other; Ardbert weaving his fingers through Calista’s hair as she hugs his waist, returning to sitting into his lap. There’s still so much left of the evening -- of the year. Whatever adventures linger on the horizon of Lakeland, they vow to take them on together. 

Such is the strength of their union. 

In the distance, clouds drift out of reach to reveal more stars speckling the heavens. A clear, beautiful sky of darkness stretching across Norvrandt. A sky they brought back _together_. Ardbert reminds Calista of this truth, kissing her deeply as she smiles against his skin.

“You’re the greatest hero I’ve ever met. And don’t you go about forgetting it any time soon, you hear.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and of course big thanks to Chey for the prompt and for the patience you had in me putting this out there! 
> 
> Check out my [twitter](https://twitter.com/_prettyvillain) for more information about my requests! Feel free to leave kudos and comments too if you'd like!


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